Trousers

“First of all, people make mistakes by not playing up their body traits. If you’re tall, wear skinny cropped pants and high heels. If you’re curvy, wear siren dresses; if you’re really little or short, wear short skirts. Don’t worry about what the trend is. For instance, high-waisted really long pants are back in, but I’m sorry, if you’re five foot two, they’re just not for you. Don’t get caught up in that — play to your strengths. I’m relatively tall [six foot] so I always wear heels and I have awful legs but no one would ever know because I never show them. Work with what you’ve got. Also try to create something that is signature, that’s a little bit yours: That could be a locket you always wear, or something from your grandmother, or you could always have hot-pink nail polish. Let your personal style come through.”

Here on this pic I hade my mix it up”Jenna Lyon’s steal her look” day – wearing printed pants combined with stripes and heels but without her signature glasses.

“Fashion is Fashion” said Anna Wintour but working into fashion is another matter. Interesting on what Jenna pays attention for an job interview:

When you’re interviewing job candidates, what do you look for?
“Every time I interview someone I ask them, “Who is your favourite painter? Who is your favourite architect?” and if I see their eyes glaze over I’m like, “Uh-oh.” It’s not just about loving fashion, it’s about loving design—furniture, textiles, colour, architecture—and understanding the history of art. If someone’s not interested in the visual world, it’s not a good sign to me.”

Cats are taking over the fashion world, with their cute faces printed on trousers, shirts and handbags. Miu Miu has been the pioneer of this irresistable trend with the label’s often copied 2010 collection. The trend stayed and developed further. Just think about the iconic Charlotte Olympia kitten flats often worn by Alexa Chung, making the young shoe designer rocket to fame. She continues the trend with her latest collection which features the kitty face on high heels.

Above: Kirsten Dunst is a well known, fellow cat lover (she was heartbroken when her cat Tazzy went missing last February) and was seen paying tribute to the furry angels twice: On the right hand side of the pic, she is seen wearing Miu Miu’s iconic cat print trousers. Left: earlier this month she stepped out in Derek Lam cat print trousers with matching cat shades.

Romantique in cat print

Above: I am wearing a T shirt with kitty print from a Notting Hill shop. Shoes from Pretty Ballerina and straw bag from Miu Miu.

The new cat collection from Parisian luxurious costume Jeweller Les Nereides is called “Tout Beaut Tout Doux” (=All beautiful and soft) and features the mini tigers on earrings, bracelets, pendants and necklaces. I’m counting down the days until this collection is available (April 2013) and will share it here, of course!

I suggest you sit down: Les Nereides Cat collection 2013.

Why are cats so trendy? Maybe because of their elegant silhouette. Or because they are soft to the touch, but at the same time they know how to get what they want. The ancient Egyptians already adored cats, they were holy. The cat trend might not go that far but one thing is for sure: The little predators are surely taking off on their triumphal course.

Do you feel the urge to totally revamp your style? Start with a statement pants in orange and dress down all other – top, jacket, blazer and shoes – around in black. If you focus on what you have to offer to others instead of pumping up your own ego, your fan base will grow exponentially. And the same rules work for fashion as well.

Ladies, have your credit cards at the ready! This weekend is Sale weekend: Shop and grab yourself high quality brands that usually are out of your wallet’s reach. Whether it’s a timeless classic or a statement piece just for one season, now is the time to splash out.

Department stores are my favourite sale destination; they have massive reductions on everything ranging from High Street to Designer. In the recession-ridden UK, these discounts are 75%!

This Playful Moschino Cheap & Chic dress demonstrates beautifully how designer is different from the high street: The unusual yellow wheat crop print fabric is something a Zara factory in China cannot copy! And the light linen/cotton material is a dream to wear on hot summer days. This dress was reduced from a whopping 395£ to a mere 95£! Yes please I’ll have one! Seen at Selfridges.

Miss Minimalist: Combine a Clean white shirt chic with a romantic nude coloured pleated skirt all rolled into one dress! Stefanel: was £135, now £70!

Too busy to shop after work? If you know your size at certain brands or you have eyeballed a few items in the shops before, just shop online. This classic white waitress shirt from Stefanel with Peter Pan collar and green edging detail is a steal for just 40% of its original prize.

Feeling luxurious? This beige ostrich leather wallet from Mulberry comes in at £180 – a bargain compared to its original price of £695! Seen at Selfridges.

Here’s the thing with style advice: I like reading books about style from women whose style I admire and respect. Parisian style icon Ines de la Fressange is one of them. In her book “Parisian Chic” one of her “No-Nos” is the combination of yellow and Blue. According to Madame de la Fressange, it looks like an advert for Ikea.

Hmm, I love the colour combination of blue (especially dark blue) and yellow, it’s a perfect mix of warm and cold and such obvious colours to mix. Needless to say, I ignored this piece of style advice!

Be inspired and take style advise but never forget to be yourself and wear clothes that are fun and make you happy!

Get inspired by our mum who is 61 years old and from who we inherited our interest and fun in all things fashionable.

Romantique:What can you tell us about fashion in the later years of life?

Mummy R&R:

As I got older, I became more confident in myself and more secure. I don’t get influenced and pressured by trends anymore like I used to 30 years ago. I only participate in trends that I know suit me. For example, the wrap dress made famous by Diane Fuerstenberg has been hailed as the ultimate flattering dress for all shapes of women in countless books, magazines and blogs for years. Still, I know a wrap dress isn’t my style, because on me, it accentuates little “rolls” and a low V-Neck doesn’t suit me as well as a boat or round neck. 20 years ago, I might have bought a dress like this because it had been hyped up so much, despite knowing that the style didn’t suit me.

Romantique:How would you describe your style?

Mummy R&R:

I like to wear classic pieces and mix them up with a few trendy items. For example, I would team a classic pencil skirt with bold coloured tights; bright pink, purple or orange for example. To complete the outfit, I would wear a simple one coloured sweater or shirt.

Romantique:What about accessories and handbags?

Mummy R&R: I don’t like wearing too much jewellery as it reminds me of old fashioned women. I do love big earrings though, particularly made of gemstones.

I also love well crafted handbags, I recently bought a heavenly brown leather handbag from Celine (seen in the photo) in Sardinia. Handbags are so important as they can spice up any outfit, just like shoes. When wearing an excellent handbag it’s all about the way you wear it: Wear it with charisma and,very important, with a straight posture oozing confidence.

Certain trends are fashion staples and will always be our obsession. These trends never fail to excite us, they never die out completely as they exist in our wardrobe in some form or the other – the animal prints.

Wearing animal prints has never been out of fashion. The rareness and the majestic character of wearing the animal print have been seen as a status symbol. It takes a confident woman to carry off the bold, chic and sexy adjectives that come with adorning the animal prints.

I WEAR:

Cashmere sweater Allure animal print wrong way, so the wide neck is on the back. To the bright 7/8 silk taffeta pants I have consciously chosen espandrilles because the pants reminds me of the 60s Saint Tropez style – so, ready for a boat trip in Southern Europe!